Automatic ice cube maker apparatus



Jan. 13, 1970 F|5HER 3,488,977

AUTOMATIC ICE CUBE MAKER APPARATUS Filed April 5, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet l WITNESSES INVENTOR' Marvin D. Fisher M. D. FISHER AUTOMATIC ICE CUBE MAKER APPARATUS Jan. 13, 1970 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 5, 1968 FREEZE Jan. 13, 1970 M. D. FISHER AUTOMATIC ICE CUBE MAKER APPARATUS Filed April 5, 1968 POCKET TRAVEL FIG 6.

FLEX STATION DUMP STATION RESTORE I STATION I FILL STATION 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 9.

Jan. 13, 1970 M.D.HSHER AUTOMATIC ICE CUBE MAKER APPARATUS Filed April 5, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Jan. 13, 1970 M. D. FISHER 3,488,977

AUTOMATIC ICE CUBE MAKER APPARATUS Filed April 5, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent. O

3,488,977 AUTOMATIC ICE CUBE MAKER APPARATUS Marvin D. Fisher, Export, Pa., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Apr. 5, 1968, Ser. No. 719,156 Int. Cl. F25c 1/10, 1/22 U.S. Cl. 62-345 17 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Automatic ice cube maker for a domestic refrigeratorfreezer in which individual, flexible ice cube pockets are hingedly connected to a rotatable member which carries them in a circular path. Each pocket actuates water fill means at a first station and the cubes are frozen in their travel to a second station where means are provided to flex the pockets to loosen the ice cubes. At a third station, each pocket is swung down about its hinge connection to dump the ice, and means are provided to thereafter restore each pocket to a position for filling at the first station.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS Copending Kennedy U.S. design patent application S.N. D. 11,670 entitled Automatic Ice Cube Maker and Nagel U.S. patent application S.N. 720,094 entiled Bin Sensing Mechanism both of which are assigned to the same assignee as the assignee of this invention, contain subject matter which is common, in part at least, with the'subject matter of this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention pertains to automtaic ice cube makers of the character in which individual ice pockets are slowly driven in a circular path, during which they are supplied with Water, and the pockets are then individually manipulated after the cubes are frozen to discharge the cubes from the pockets.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Automatic ice cube makers of the general type in which cube pockets are slowly driven in a circular path lying generally in a horizontal plane and are manipulated in one manner or another after the cubes are frozen to discharge the cubes from the pockets are known in the patent art, as evidenced by U.S. Patents 2,522,651, 2,431,- 916, 2,058,077, 2,697,918, for example. However none of these have reached commercial fruition so far as I know. It may be that, as is the case with most of these examples in the patent art, the apparatus taught was of the character which required co-ordinating several operations performed upon the ice cube pocket, such as striking, or inverting the pocket, to effect the release and dumping of the ice cubes. Such arrangements can introduce difficult mechanical problems, as well as compounding the likelihood of failure due to frost build up and consequent jamming.

The automatic ice makers currently marketed fall into three main types so far as I know. In one type a stationary, multi-pocket tray is used, and a harvesting mechanism is arranged to push the cubes from their pockets after first sensing that the cubes are frozen and then seeondly eliminating the frozen surface bond of the cubes to the pockets by applying suflicient heat to melt the surface of the cubes. In another arrangement, a flexible, multi-pocket tray is used which is twisted and pivoted toward an inverted position to loosen the ice cubes and eject them from the tray. In a third arrangement, an endless belt, multi-pocket tray of flexible material is arranged so that the pockets are filled and frozen as they pass along the upper flight, the cubes are loosened from the pockets by twisting the endless belt mold as it approaches the belt direction reversal location, and then ejecting the cubes as the pockets are inverted for passage along the lower flight.

Each of these arrangements has its inherent advantages and disadvantages. In at least two of the arrangements the control system can get relatively complex and require close coordination of the various operations performed. Also, the power requirements for insuring sufficient force to effect the ejection may be substantial. Other problems which arise in connection with the currently marketed automatic ice cube makers are also Well known to those skilled in the art.

Accordingly it is my belief that an automatic ice cube maker of the type in which individual, flexible cube pockets traverse a circular path in a substantially horizontal plane, and each pocket is independently manipulated to effect the ice release, is susceptible of providing some distinct advantages over the currently marketed automatic ice makers. However, realization of the advantages to be had wth the circular path automatic ice maker demands that the structural arrangement and functional relationships between the parts he designed to capitalize upon the potentially advantageous character of this type of ice maker. An automatic ice cube maker according to my invention is believed to meet this demand.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An arrangement according to my invention includes a series of flexible, individual ice pockets arranged in a circle lying in a substantially horizontal plane and hingedly connected to a rotatable member, means for maintaining the ice pockets in a substantially upwardly-open position throughout most of the travel about the circle, including through a station in which the ice pockets are individually twisted to loosen the ice cubes therein, means for dropping each pocket about its hinge connection to a depending position for dumping the ice from the pocket at another station, and means for restoring each pocket to a position in the horizontal plane between the dumping station and an immediately following filling station. The invention also contemplates the provision of a number of structural details consonant with the concept outlined above, which details will be considered at some length hereinafter.

DRAWING DESCRIPTION FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a domestic refrigerator-freezer with an ice maker according to the invention installed in the freezer compartment;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts of the automatic ice maker, these views being fragmentary and partly-broken;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of an arrangement for securing the parts of FIGURE 2 in as sembled relation;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view corresponding to one taken through the central axis of the assembly and illustrating the drive and bearing relationship;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the rotatable member and attached ice pockets as they move through the flex, dump, restore, and fill stations;

FIG. 6 is a series of sequential edge views of a single pocket passing through the stations noted in connection with FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of the machine shell with the bin sensing mechanism in a normal at-rest position;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary plan view of the cocking lever of the bin sensing mechanism moved to a position it occupies just prior to triggering the sensing mechanism; and

FIG. 9 is partly diagrammatic and partly schematic view of an electric control circuit which may be used in the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An automatic ice cube maker 10 according to the invention is shown in FIGURE 1 as being installed in the freezer compartment 12 of a refrigerator-freezer of the domestic type. The ice maker is fastened to the top wall 14 of the freezer compartment in a location adjacent a side wall so that it is in the path of the low temperature air discharged from air outlet 16. An ice cube receiving bin 18 is located below the ice maker. Water is supplied to the ice maker through a supply fitting (not shown) installed in the top insulated wall of the refrigeratorfreezer cabinet. A slug-type valve 22 (shown in FIG. 9 only) is connected between the outlet fitting and the house water supply. This valve may be of the character described in co-pending Racki et al. US. Patent S.N. 719,036, or of any other type which provides a metered amount of water with each actuation of the valve.

ASSEMBLY MAIN PARTS (FIG. 2)

The main parts of the ice maker 10 assembly are illustrated in exploded form in FIGURE 2 and include: a machine shell 24 in the general form of the relatively shallow, circular pan having a partly-open floor 26 and the partly-apertured circumferential side wall 28; a rotatable ice pocket carrier 30 which essentially includes a rotatable hub 32 having internal gear teeth 34 and a series of radially-disposed arms or spokes 36 to which the ice pockets 38 (only one shown) are hingedly connected; and, an underlying open-work enclosure generally designated 40 which includes an open-work bottom wall 42 and a circular open-work side wall 44. In assembled relation, the ice pocket carrier 30 with the series of individual ice pockets hingedly connected thereto is seated coaxially on the enclosure 40, which is then moved up in coaxial relation to the machine shell 24 with the latching prongs 46 of the enclosure received in the correspondingly spaced slots 48 adjacent the rim of the shell. The shell 24 is secured by spacer posts (not shown) to the top wall 14 (FIGURE 1) of the freezer. To fasten the en closure 40 to the shell, the enclosure is rotated slightly to seat the prongs 46 on the machine shell floor 26 in bayonet fastening fashion as shown in FIG. 3. In this assembled relation, the machine shell 24 and enclosure 40 are stationary, with the ice pocket carrier 30 being rotatable in the annular space between the floor 26 of the machine shell and the bottom wall 42 of the enclosure.

ICE POCKET CARRIER (FIGS. 2, 4 AND Each ice pocket is generally sector shaped as viewed in plan and is preferably molded as a one-piece, sloped wall pocket of plastic material such as polypropylene which has the property of bearing repeated flexing without taking an undue set. The radially outer end portion of the pocket carries a pair of spaced apart, outwardly-projecting ears 50 and 52. During the travel of the ice pocket through the flexing station, these cars engage camming faces to twist the outer end portion of the pocket relative to the inner end portion for loosening the cube. The trailing ear 52 is also used to actuate the water fill means when the pocket reaches the water filling station.

At the radially inner end of the pocket, a stiffener buttress 56 is provided in a position to be engaged by means which aids gravity to insure that the ice pocket swings down to a depending position for dumping the ice cube, as will be described later. The lower inner end portion of the pocket also carries a spaced apart pair of journaling lugs 58 and 60 for making the hinge connection of the ice pocket to the rotatable hub and spider. The location of the lugs at the lower inner corner of the pocket promotes compactness of the assembly. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the trailing journaling lug 60 of each pocket has a cut out side to permit it to be snapped in place on its respective hinge pin after the other lug 58 has been slipped onto its pin. Each of the ice pockets also includes a weir 62 at the upper center of the pocket outer end wall 64, with a drip track 66 leading downwardly from the weir to a point below the pocket bottom wall so that any pocket overflow will be led away and not migrate back along the pocket walls toward the hinge connection.

ICE POCKET CARRIER (FIGS. 2, 4 AND 5) The hub 32 part of the carrier has the general form of an upwardly-open shallow cup with gear teeth 34 provided on the interior surface of the upright wall 32 of the hub. The outer end of each spoke 36 carries the opposite, tangentially-directed pins 37 which are received in the journaling lugs 58 and 60 of the pockets to make the hinged connections.

The axle of the hub comprises an upright, hollow center post 35 (FIGS. 2 and 4) which seats, in the assembly of the carrier to the enclosure 40, upon the center post 41 of the enclosure. This provides the bearing for the lower side of the hub. A spindle 33 extends upwardly from the top of the hollow post 35 and is received in the central opening 27 in the floor 26 of the machine shell. This provides the bearing for the upper side of the hub. A stub post 31 is provided on the upper rim of the hub and serves to engage means, as will be later explained, actuating an ice bin level sensing mechanism.

The ice pocket carrier is preferably fabricated as a one piece structure which may be injection molded of a thermoplastic material such as an acetyl resin. An acetyl resin, such as that sold by Du Pont under the trademark Delrin provides highly satisfactory results in that the material forms sufliciently strong gear teeth and other structural elements, works well as bearing material in the cold environment, and absorbs little moisture.

ENCLOSURE (FIG. 2)

Both the side wall 44 and bottom 42 of the enclosure 40 are of openwork construction to facilitate air flow therethrough. Thus the side wall 44 includes the variously sized openings 45 therein, and the bottom is formed of a series of spokes (also 42). The spokes carry bosses 43 arranged in a circle to provide a track upon which the bottom of the ice pockets slide in their movement around the circle. The track bosses may be joined together if larger openings are desired in the bottom wall 42. However, in the one quadrant 47 of the bottom the spokes are omitted, this being the dump station where the pockets swing down to a depending position to dump the ice cubes.

On the interior face of the side wall 44 at the location of the flex station, an inclined ramp 49 provides a camming surface positioned to be engaged by the cars 50 and 52 of the pockets. Depending from the bottom 42 is a shield member 68 (FIGURE 1) which prevents a swungdown pocket from being inadvertently jammed, and also protects the mechanism when the bin 18 is removed and the space is used for frozen food storage.

The enclosure is preferably made as an injection molded one piece member from a thermoplastic material such as a polycarbonate plastic.

MACHINE SHELL (FIGS. 2, 4, 6-8) The machine shell 24 has the general form of the shallow pan which includes a generally flat metallic plate serving as the bottom wall 26 with strategically located cutout portions for promoting air circulation through the ice maker, and up-turned tabs for component mounting and stop purposes, and a circumferential wall 28 which may be in the form of an aluminum band with a plurality of ventilating apertures 29 along a portion of the arc of the wall. The bottom wall supports most of the electrical and mechanical components which play a part in the functioning of the ice maker.

Before proceeding with the description of the parts in the shell 24, it will be noted that in FIGURE 2 legends occupying arcual segments around .the periphery of the shell 24 and enclosure 40 denote the operation occurring at different locations as the pockets traverse the circular path. For example, while a particular ice pocket is in the fill station, it is filled with water from the overhead pipe outlet 67. Then as the pockets slowly proceed through the are denoted Freeze, the water is frozen. As each pocket passes through the flex station, it is twisted to loosen the cube. At the dump station the pocket swings down about its hinge connection and the ice cube is dumped into the underlying ice bin. Finally, between the dump station and the fill station, the pocket is restored to its upwardly-open or upright position so that it may receive another charge of water in the fill station.

To drive the ice pocket carrier, a small electric motor 69 is used, the drive shaft 70 (FIG. 4) of the .motor extending down into the hub 32 so that the spur gear end 71 of the shaft engages with the hub teeth 34. The machine shell also houses a thermostat and bin level sensing switch 73 (FIG. 2) located closely adjacent a hinged bail portion 74 of the wireform sensing member, the end 75 of which periodically is actuated to descend into the ice bin to sense whether the level of ice cubes therein has exceeded a predetermined level. Fill switch means 76 located adjacent the restore station has an operating lever 77 which projects down into the path of the trailing car 52 on the outer end portion of each ice pocket. As each ice pocket undergoes restoration to an upright position and moves into a position underlying the water outlet 67, engagement of the ear 52 with the switch actuating lever 77 closes and then opens switch 76 which causes a metered amount of water to be discharged into the ice pocket.

While the arrangement is such that it will be normally expected that the ice pockets will swing down into a depending position under the force of gravity at the dump station, it is considered preferable to provide means which positively insure this. Such dump insuring means may take the form of a simple L-shaped spring wire which has an eye 78 (FIG. 2) on one end fastened to the floor 26, and a downwardly-projecting leg 79 extending into the path of the inner end portion of the ice pockets as they move through the dump station. Thus as the stiffener buttress 56 of the pocket is engaged by the spring leg as the pocket moves through the dump station, the leg causes the pocket to snap down into a fully depending and slightly inverted position.

The underside of the machine shell floor 26 (FIG. 2) carries means providing camming faces at the location of the flex station. The cam means are illustrated as taking the form of a flat spring strip secured to the floor 26 and includes a leading ramp 80, an intermediate portion 81, and a trailing ramp 82. In an alternative arrangement not shown, the ramps may be formed of a single piece of molded plastic fastened to the floor. The ramp 49 which is secured to the enclosure 40 is located opposite the intermediate portion 81 so that, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, it raises one ear of a pocket, while the other car is held down, or alternatively, is depressed. As shown more clearly in the sequential views of a single pocket moving through the manipulative steps of FIG. 6, the leading car 50 of the pocket is forced upwardly by movement along ramp 49, while the trailing ear 52 is held down by ramp 80. With continued movement of the pocket, ramp 82 forces leading ear 50 downwardly while ramp 49 holds trailing ear 52 up. Accordingly, in the double flexing arrangement illustrated, which is currently preferred, the pocket is flexed first in one way and then in the other way at its outer end portion through the engagement of the ears 50 and 52 with the respective ramps. It will be appreciated that the inner end portion of the pocket is restrained during the flexing operation by the hinged connection.

It will also be appreciated that as the pocket of FIG- URE 6 moves so that its trailing ear 52 leaves the ramp 49, it is in a position to drop by gravity to the depending position of the one pocket so shown in FIGURE 6. Thereafter, movement of the pocket into engagement with and along the restoring spoke 39 bounding the open area 47 of the enclosure 40 results in the pocket being slowly swung up toward an upwardly-open position. Then as the pocket moves into the fill station, the engagement of ear 52 with the lever 77 of the water fill switch results in a slug of water being discharged into the pocket.

BIN SENSING MECHANISM (FIGS. 2, 4, 7 AND 8) The means for sensing when the ice cube bin 18 has reached a sufiiciently high level of ice cubes therein to warrant stopping operation of the automatic ice maker, contributed in large part by Nagel, is best understood in connection with FIGURES 2, 8 and 9. This mechanism is arranged to check once during each complete cycle of the automatic ice maker to determine if the twelve cubes dumped into the bin has raised the level of ice cubes in the bin sufiiciently that the ice maker should be stopped. Sensing of the level is accomplished by rotating the wire form 74 to a position at which its end 75 projects down to a predetermined level in the bin. The motive power for this is derived from the rotating hub 32.

A cocking lever 84 is pivotally mounted on an upright pintle 85 and is biased by tension spring 86 to its FIG- URE 7 normal at-rest position. In this position, the depending leg inner end 87 of the lever projects down into the arc of rotation of the stub post 31 on the carrier hub and rests against the stop 88 formed up out of the shell floor 26. As the hub rotates, once each complete revolution the stub post engages the concave face on the cocking lever leg 87. The post pushes the cocking lever so that the lever pivots about pintle 85 and is moved in translating fashion by virtue of the slot 89 to the cocked position shown in FIGURE 8 after passing through the intermediate broken line position of the cocking lever. At this point the stub post has moved through an arc corresponding to about 120 of hub rotation. Continued arcual movement of the post permits the pushing or hammer end 90 of the cocking lever to move into a position engaging an upright leg of the bail 74 of the wireform sensing member since the closed end 89a of the slot prevents the cocking lever from following the stub post while the biasing spring 86 urges the return of the lever to its normal at-rest position. This causes the hammer end 90 of the lever to pivot the bail 74 in a direction moving the upright leg of the bail away from the limited extended position of plunger 73a (biased to follow the bail) of the bin sensing and thermostatic switch 73. This deenergizes the drive motor 69 by opening the circuit to the motor (to be explained in connection with FIGURE 9). In an alternative structural arrangement, the bail may be provided with a plate secured to lie generally in the plane of the bail, and pivotally carried with the bail, with the switch plunger controlled by the plate, so that any problems of aligning the upright leg of the bail with the plunger are avoided.

As the bail 74'is pivoted, the sensing end 75 of the wireform accordingly moves down into the ice bin. If the level of ice has built up sufliciently that full travel of the end 75 is obstructed, the hammer end 90 of the lever hangs up against the bail, rather than sliding over it, so that switch 73 remains open and the ice maker operation is stopped until the level of cubes in the bin 18 is reduced. If the sensing end 75 swings down to the predetermined design level, the hammer end 90 slips over the top of the bail so that the bail can again return to its normal position engaging the plunger of switch 73 under the force of its biasing spring 91.

As the sensing end 75 swings back up to its normal at-rest position, its upward travel is limited by a bumper 92 (FIG. 7) projecting out from the floor of the machine shell. The sensing arm may also be used as the manually operated means for terminating operation of the automatic ice maker by pulling it downwardly and springing it inwardly to be held by a depending lug 93 (FIG. 2) on the lower edge of the enclosure.

ELECTRICAL OPERATION (FIGURE 9) As shown in FIGURE 9, line power is delivered to the drive motor 69 through the thermostat and bin sensing switch 73. While this switch may take various forms, in the illustrated form it includes a single set of contacts 96 which are opened and closed in accordance with temperature changes, as well as in accordance with the bin sensing operation. The differential of the thermostat portion of the switch is in the order of 10 to F., for example, with the bimetal disk 95 arranged to close the switch contacts 96 at sensed freezer temperature below, say, 10 F., and to open the contacts at sensed temperatures above, say, F. Opening the contacts 96 of course de-energizes the drive motor 69 and thereby stops all operation of the ice maker.

The manner in which the bin sensor overrides the thermostat portion is perceivable from FIG. 9. The switch 73 includes a leaf spring 97 which biases the plunger 73a toward a position opening the switch contacts 96. This plunger 73a is of course the one engaged by the bin sensing bail 74. The bail is spring biased toward a position opposing the plunger bias with sufiicient force that the plunger exerts no control of the switch except when the bail moves away from the plunger. Then the biasing force of the leaf spring moves the plunger to a position opening the switch contacts irrespective of the position of the bimetal 95. When the bail returns to its upright position, the plunger is forced back to a position closing the switch contacts to again energize the drive motor 69. Thus it will be understood that once during each rotation of the hub the drive motor is only momentarily deenergized unless the ice level in the bin exceeds the predetermined desirable level, which results in a continued deenergization.

FIGURE 9 also illustrates the electrical connections between the electrical power source and the fill switch 76 which is closed and then opened by movement of an ice pocket 38 into the fill station engaging and then disengaging lever 77 controlling the switch and hence the solenoid slug valve 22.

SUMMARY OF OPERATION The arrangement as currently contemplated for commercial manufacture provides twelve ice pockets in an ice maker arrangement having a diameter of about 10 inches. As a given ice pocket reaches the first station and actuates the fill switch, a metered amount of water is discharged into the ice pocket. The ice pocket continues its rotation in the circular path at a relatively slow rate which insures that the cube has been completely frozen by the time the pocket reaches the flex station. There the ice cube is loosened from the pocket by the alternate flexure of the outer end of the pocket one way and the other. Then as the pocket reaches the dump station, where underlying support for the pocket is omitted, the pocket swings down about its hinged connection to a depending position and the ice cube is dumped. Finally the pocket is slowly restored to an upwardly-open disposition as it moves through the restore station and back into the fill station.

8 GENERAL MODIFICATIONS The arrangement of sector shaped pockets in which the outer end portions are wider than the inner end portions results in a compact arrangement which as presently designed permits only one pocket to be in a fully depending position at one time. It will be appreciated of course that a greater spacing between pockets would permit more than one to be swung down at one time, although this would penalize the compactness of the ice maker.

In a modified form of the ice maker which has been contemplated, the pockets would be hinged at their radially outer end so that during the dump operation, they would swing down toward the outside, rather than the inside. While this arrangement would require substantial structural revisions of the ice maker, it is considered to be within the scope of the inventive concept.

Another modification would have the pockets molded integrally with the carrier, with a living hinge (thin web line) connecting the pockets to the carrier. Observations of such an arrangement have indicated its satisfactory operation, but it is not considered the currently preferred way since loss or damage to a single pocket would require replacement of the entire carrier.

FEATURES The described arrangement provides a number of advantages with respect to currently marketed ice makers which may be more readily appreciated if further explained. With the individual and separate pocket arrangement, as distinguished from a tray arrangement having a number of integrally connected pockets, it is relatively easy to get adequate air circulation about all of the exterior surfaces of the pocket to promote rapid freezing. The ventilating aperatures in the machine shell rim and in the enclosure, as well as the cut-out portions of the machine shell floor, are all designed to accommodate substantial circulation of cold air through the apparatus.

Another advantage of the individual pocket aspect of the arrangement is that the water is supplied in metered amounts just suflicient to fill each pocket to the desired level. Accordingly, if for some reason an ice cube should stick in a given pocket, which is then restored to its upright position at the fill station, the discharge of the small amount of water into the cube occupied pocket does not result in any substantial overflow. Of course, any overflow passes out the weir of the pocket and down along the drip track so that the hinge connection is not fouled.

Any pocket may be detached and replaced while in the dump station without disassembling the ice maker. Further, the enclosure and carrier may be readily detached by simply rotating the enclosure relative to the machine shell to detach the bayonet connections, and then dropping the entire enclosure and ice pocket carrier. Whi e all of the electrically driven and controlled parts remain in place, the removal of the carrier precludes the operation of the parts which derive motivation from the carrier rotation. There is not even any need to deenergize the drive motor, since its continued operation consumes very little power, and none of the normal functions of the ice maker take place without the presence of the carrier.

It will also be appreciated that with the arrangement as described, all of the electrical operations and the manipulation of the pocketse are derived from movement of the ice pocket carrier and pockets. That is, as each individual pocket arrives at the fill station, its arrival actuates the fill mechanism. As each individual pocket passes through the flex station, it is the movement of the pocket which effects the loosening. The movement of the pocket into the dump station causes it to drop, and the restoration of the pocket to an upright position is also effected by the pocket movement. Finally it is the movement of the carrier which actuates the bin sensing mechanism, once each cycle, independently of the location and disposition of any particular pocket at that time.

9 I claim: 1. In' an automatic ice maker for a freezer: a series of flexible material ice pockets arranged in a circle; a rotatable member having a substantially vertical axis of rotation; means hingedly connecting each ice pocket to said rotatable member; '1 means for supplying each pocket with water at a fill station along said circle; I i means for applying a twisting force to a portion of each pocket remote from said hinge connection to loosen the ice therein at a flex stat-ion along said circle; means for effecting the swinging down of each pocket about its said hinge connection tofa depending position for dumping the ice from said pocket at a dump station; and means for restoring each pocket to an upright position between said dump station and said fill station. 2. In an automatic ice maker a'c'gord ing to claim 1: said ice pockets are generally sector-"shaped as viewed in plan; said rotatable member is centered in said circle and includes means at its periphery forming one part of said hinge connections; and 7 said pockets include means at the radially inner end portions thereof forming the complementary part of said hinge connections. 3. In an ice maker according to claim 2: said complementary part of said hinge connections on said pockets comprise a pair of journalling lugs located adjacent the bottom arid at the radially inner end portion of each said pocket. 4. In an ice maker according to claim 3: said one part of said hinge connection of said rotatable member comprises pins; and at least one of said journalling lugs includes an open side to permit snapping said lug onto one of said pins. 5. In an ice maker according to claim 1: each ice pocket includes an end wall having a weir therein, said end wall including means on its exterior.

surface for directing water overflowing said weir at said fill stat-ion to a drop-01f point spaced from the exterior surface of said pocket to prevent migration of said overflow water along the walls of said pocket to said hinge connection.

6. In an ice maker according to claim 1:

said twisting means includes stationarily disposed ramp means at said flex station; and

each said pocket includes integrally-formed, projectingear means located on said pocket for engagement by said ramp means as said pocket moves through said flex station.

7. In an ice maker according to claim 6:

said water supply means includes switch means having an actuator disposed to be engaged by said ear means as said pocket moves into saidjfill station.

8. In an ice maker according to claim 1:

means disposed in said dump station location for engagement by said pockets fo'rL'insuring movement of said pockets to said depending position.

9. In an automatic ice maker:

a hub;

a plurality of flexible material ice Pockets hingedly connected in a circular array to the peripheral portion of said hub;

means for rotating to said hub to carry said ice pockets through a circular path; v

means for supplying water to said ice pockets in an upwardly-open disposition at a, fill station in said circular path;

means for twisting the outer portion of each said pocket individually at a flex station in said circular path to loosen the ice cubes therein while said pocket remains in a generally upright disposition;

means for moving each said pocket individually about its hinged connection into a depending position to elfect dumping of said ice cubes by gravity therefrom at a dump station; and

means for restoring each said pocket to an upwardlyopen disposition during movement thereof between said dump and said fill stations.

10. In an ice maker according to claim 9:

each of said ice pockets is generally sector-shaped in plan outline to accommodate forming a circular array about said hub with their sides juxtaposed, and each includes a pair of spaced-apart ears carried by the radially outer end portion of said pocket; and

said twisting means includes ramp means at said flex station for successively elevating and then depressing one of said ears relative to the other to effect said cube loosening.

11. An automatic ice maker for installation in a food freezer compartment having a top wall, comprising:

a machine shell in a general form of a relatively shallow pan having a floor and a side wall, said shell being secured to underlie said freezer top wall;

an ice pocket carrier underlying said floor, said carrier including a hub rotatable about a vertical axis, and a plurality of individual ice pockets hingedlyconnected to the peripheral portion of said hub;

an open-work enclosure including bottom wall means underlying said carrier and side wall means encompassing the periphery of said pockets;

means for detachably securing said enclosure to said shell;

means for supporting said carrier for rotation in the space between said enclosure bottom wall means and said shell floor;

electric motor means carried by said machine shell for driving said hub for carrying said pockets in a circular path;

means for maintaining said pockets in an upwardlyopen disposition throughout the longer part of their travel in said circular path;

means responsive to movement of each said pocket into a fill station in said circular path for supplying water thereto;

means for twisting each said pocket during its travel through a flex station in said circular path, to loosen ice formed in said pocket during travel of said pocket between said fill and flex stations;

means for effecting dropping of each pocket individually about its hinge connection to a depending position at a dump station for effecting discharges of said loosened ice by gravity; and

means for restoring said pocket to said upwardly-open disposition between said dump and said fill stations.

12. An ice maker according to claim 11 wherein:

said means for maintaining said ice pockets in said upwardly-open disposition comprises means carried by said enclosure bottom wall means.

13. An ice maker according to claim 11:

said pocket twisting means comprises ramp means carried by said shell and by said enclosure to direct the leading and trailing portions of the outer ends of each of said pockets upwardly and downwardly relative to each other at said flexing station.

14. An ice maker according to claim 11:

said bottom wall means of said enclosure includes one area thereof which is open at said dump station to permit each successive said pocket to swing down to said depending position thereat.

15. In an ice maker according to claim 11:

said securing means includes spaced, shell engaging means on the rim of said enclosure wall.

16. In an ice maker according to claim 11:

1 1 said hub comprises a cup-shaped member having internal teeth along its side wall; and

said electric motor means includes a drive shaft extending down into said hub and carrying gear means engaging with said teeth.

17. In an automatic ice maker for a freezer:

a series of flexible material ice pockets arranged in a circle, each pocket being generally sector-shaped as viewed in plan;

a rotatable member having a substantially vertical axis of rotation and centered in said circle, for carrying said pockets in a generally circular path;

means hingedly connecting the radially inner end portion of each said pocket to the peripheral portion of said rotatable member to accommodate swinging movement of each pocket from a generally upright position down to a generally depending position;

means for supplying each pocket with Water at a fill station along said circle;

means for manipulating said pocket to discharge said ice therefrom at a location in said circular path sufficiently removed from said fill station to ensure freezing of ice under normal conditions of operation as said pocket moves from said fill station to said location, said manipulation including both applying a twisting force to a portion of each pocket remote from said hinge connection and also orienting each pocket in said generally dependent position to permit said ice to drop from said pocket; and

means for restoring each pocket to an upright position following said ice discharge and before said pocket moves into said fill station.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,522,651 9/ 1950 Van Vleck 62345 X 2,646,666 7/ 1953 Vlasic 62345 2,697,918 12/ 1954 Comstock 62345 3,309,892 3/1967 OConnell et a1. 62345 20 WILLIAM E. WAYNER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

